So you just learned about many of the cool places around Concord to catch some live music. And there sure are plenty of options.
But all of those venues offer a fairly similar experience: You watch a loud show and maybe have some food and a couple drinks while you’re at it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that experience, it’s just that sometimes, some people are looking for a more relaxed setting.
If you count yourself as one of those people, you’ll definitely want to check out Granite State of Mind, part of the new Listening Room Series held at NEC Concord.
The Listening Room Series is made up of three monthly live music offerings: Near/Far Acoustic Showcase, hosted by Feisty Pants; Six Strings . . . Three Chords, hosted by Tristan Omand; and Granite State of Mind, hosted by Rob Azevedo.
Each of these little features offers similar yet different experiences. The underlying theme here is that they each present a unique, intimate setting to experience music.
Granite State of Mind just debuted last Wednesday, and we stopped by to see what all the fuss was about.
The format is simple: A musician plays some acoustic tunes and takes questions from the audience between each song. It’s a chance for music fans to learn a little bit about the process of creating music, straight from the musician.
And the atmosphere is very different from what you’d encounter at a bar, as you might imagine. It takes place in a smallish room on Main Street that has a few dozen chairs. Soft, indirect track lighting creates a warm and fuzzy feel. No giant stacks of amplifiers and walls of speakers everywhere.
The guest of honor for the first show was Pat Gochez, frontman of the local powerhouse Pat and the Hats (well, formerly local – they all just moved to Somerville, Mass.). Azevedo, a radio DJ, Monitor columnist and general New Hampshire music scene buff, is a big fan of Pat and the Hats and was really excited to land Gochez for the first show.
“Pat is, he’s a rock star,” Azevedo said. “I really wanted him for the first show.”
Azevedo stressed the unique nature of the event: “This is everybody’s gig tonight. Let’s be a family tonight.”
Granite State of Mind is a different experience because listeners get the chance to really interact with the musicians on a personal level. People asked Gochez questions such as: “Is it easier to write when you’re in a relationship, or when you’re not in one?” “Do you always write songs on the same instrument?” “Who are your biggest influences?” “What was the first band you really got into?”
And Gochez answered them all with sincerity and also some humor. Many smiles, head nods and laughs from the dozen or so attendees filled the room.
The songs played were on the lighter side – no death metal, no grunge. Gochez admitted that a lot of his stuff “sounds so Beatley,” and that’s not a bad thing. Think along the lines of “Julia” or “Across the Universe,” not so much “Helter Skelter” or “I Want You (She’s so Heavy).”
The soft acoustic guitar chords, the jazzy, bouncy piano and Gochez’s elegant singing voice perfectly complemented the cozy confines of NEC’s ground-floor room. And the audience was very engaged – no texting, Facebooking or Tweeting was noticed during the whole show, which is saying something.
The Granite State of Mind series will take place once a month, and they’ve already booked acts for the next six months. For now, there’s not really a hard-and-fast timetable – for instance, it’s not always the second Wednesday of the month of anything like that. The next one will be Feb. 3, and then March 16.
The shows will run about an hour, starting at 7:30 p.m. And – here’s the best part – it’s all free. Any time you can find a free, open-to-the-public music event in downtown Concord, you know you’re in for a good time.
To learn more about Granite State of Mind or any of the other features that make up the Listening Room Series, go to facebook.com/NECConcord.